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‘Kya badhiya news hain’- Fans react as Ben Stokes set to return in ODI World Cup 2023 against South Africa

Stokes made a return to the ODI format ahead of the World Cup after announcing his retirement from the format last year.

Oct 18, 2023 4:38 pm

England will play South Africa in the next match in the ODI World Cup 2023. The defending champions did not have a great outing so far in the mega event. Jos Buttler’s side have won just one match and lost two. They were shocked by the Afghans in their last match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi. Ahead of the match, their key all-rounder Ben Stokes will make a comeback to the side.

Stokes made a return to the ODI format ahead of the World Cup after announcing his retirement from the format last year. But due to a hip injury, the star player missed the first three matches of the mega event. Stokes made sure the team was in a good mood after the loss against Afghanistan and backed his players to play freely in the upcoming matches as well.

The English head coach, Mathew Mott, believes that Stokes is fully match-fit and is ready for the match that is to be played at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on October 21.

So fingers crossed, he can tick off all the things that need to be ticked off and he comes back into that side: Mathew Mott

Mott said, “So fingers crossed, he can tick off all the things that need to be ticked off and he comes back into that side. He’s like the spiritual leader of the group in many ways, and he certainly spoke really well after the game the other day, and spoke about that need to really assert ourselves. The boys are trying really hard but the two things that we’re probably missing are the confidence – to puff your chest out, go out there and really take the game on – and then it’s just our general attitude, our ability to do the little things: bowl in partnerships when we’re bleeding from one end… and then with the bat, just being a little bit braver.”

He further added, “It’s still up for debate. We’ll have some really good, robust conversations over the next 24 hours; try and work out what that best balance is, not just for South Africa, but for the conditions as well. Harry batted extremely well and I think everyone knows his class as a player so it’s a good problem to have. Whatever way we go, we’ll have a strong XI.”

Here’s how fans reacted: